lots of news (for almost everyone)

Apple has once again shown four new iPhones this year. There is a lot of news this year, especially with the Pro models, but not for everyone. This is our first impression of the iPhone 14 Pro Max!

iPhone 14 Pro Max: first impression

It was a bit of a shock when the iPhone 14 Pro Max unpacked: the new cameras are really a lot bigger than with the previous generation. And if you’re coming from an iPhone 12 or older, the difference is even greater.

The setup is done as you are used to from Apple: if you come from a previous iPhone, you can get started after 15 minutes. The apps and photo library will then be downloaded in the background.

Dynamic Island: the most striking new feature

When you are setting up the iPhone, you don’t really notice much of the Dynamic Island (the black oval bar). When the bar comes to life for the first time when you start Apple Music or connect your AirPods, you’re really staring at the screen.

The first few times you also constantly look at what the bar shows and what it can do exactly. The Dynamic Island is also really useful, because you can see with small icons what is playing or what has just been connected to your device.

In addition, the Dynamic Island is also convenient to use. For example, do you play music and want to pause the music? Then keep your finger on the bar and the media player appears. With older iPhones you first had to go back to the app or to the lockscreen.

Not all apps have support for the Dynamic Island, but more and more apps are being added. In any case, it is a nice addition to the apps that already have the support. Hopefully, more and more apps will be added that use the oval bar in a useful way.

It is strange that you have to manually close some apps (such as Apple Music) to get them out of the Dynamic island. While other apps, such as the timer, disappear on their own after shutting down.

Of course, that’s not such a big problem, because apps are pushed through in the Dynamic Island every time you start more. Or they close automatically when you switch music apps, for example.

By the way, only a maximum of two apps can be active in the bar at the same time. And some apps often want to occupy the same place. For example, the Timer will like to stay on the right, and Apple Music usually on the left when you have two apps open.

Always-on: finally also on the iPhone

Another important new feature is the always-on display. Other smartphones have had this feature for some time and now the iPhone 14 Pro Max also has this feature. With this, for example, you still see the time if you have locked the iPhone.

However, Apple does it again in a special way, because often only the time is shown on an always-on screen. With the iPhone 14 Pro Max (and the iPhone 14 Pro) you can even see the background and your notifications. In the final review, we will assess whether the always-on screen also affects the battery life of your device.

iPhone 14 camera: better with more options

For some Apple fans, the new camera is reason to switch to a new iPhone. Every year the cameras of Apple’s devices get better and that is the case again this time.

When you take a photo ‘sometimes’ you won’t notice it right away. The photos taken by the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 already looked fine. But if you are a bit more critical, the new iPhone 14 Pro Max (and the iPhone 14 Pro) has received some very nice upgrades.

You will notice these upgrades especially during poor lighting conditions, but you will also see the benefits of the new camera when you take photos during the day. The photos look just a bit sharper and you see more details in dark areas. Nevertheless, the differences remain small during the day.

Until you start taking photos at night, because then you notice that the new iPhone has become a lot better at that. Illuminated buildings show more detail and you get to see more details than was the case with the iPhone 13 Pro Max. When you zoom in far on a night photo of an iPhone 13 Pro Max, it seems as if there is a haze over it. With the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the same photo is a lot sharper.

You do notice that when shooting RAW photos, it sometimes takes a few seconds before the iPhone 14 Pro Max has processed the photo. That was already the case with the previous iPhones, but now it takes even longer.

Read more: iPhone 14 Pro camera – these are the innovations (and what not)

Conclusion: iPhone 14 Pro Max first impression

The iPhone 14 Pro Max (and the iPhone 14 Pro) are the devices from Apple that you should buy if you want the latest iPhone. The Dynamic Island is especially cool, but also useful. Furthermore, the always-on screen is a welcome addition, but it remains to be seen whether this function will eventually become a considerable ‘battery-guzzler’.

During this first impression, we noticed that the upgrades to the camera are much less impressive if you already have an iPhone 13 Pro Max. You get better night photos and now have the option to shoot in 48 megapixels. But with home-garden-and-kitchen shots, you don’t notice much difference. In that case, you should mainly rely on the other upgrades, such as the Dynamic Island.

We’ll go into more detail about this in our final review. So keep a close eye on iPhoned!

Buy iPhone 14 Pro Max

Do you want to buy the iPhone 14 Pro Max? Check out our iPhone 14 Pro Max price comparison. Then you know for sure that you will not pay too much!

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